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OXFORD. — Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta believes Eddie Nketiah is getting better and better after helping the Gunners set up an FA Cup fourth-round tie at Manchester City by beating Oxford United 3-0 at Kassam Stadium on Monday night.
Arteta believes Nketiah is seizing his moment, having hit a brace in Arsenal’s FA Cup third-round win at Oxford.
Nketiah scored twice in six second-half minutes after Mohamed Elneny’s opener to secure the Gunners’ progression.
It is now five goals in his last six games for Nketiah, who has stepped up in the absence of injured striker Gabriel Jesus.
Having started the season on the bench, Nketiah is now Arsenal’s joint-leading goalscorer alongside the more regular first-team starters Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.
“He showed great composure,” said Arteta. “He’s a great finisher, with the timing of his runs as well.
“He showed his quality and his work-rate is getting better and better. I’m really happy with him.
“We have only one (striker) and to go many months before Gaby is back it’s not easy, but we have to get the most out of the players that we have at the moment.”
The English Premier League leaders were frustrated in the first half by a well-organised and disciplined Oxford side before eventually overpowering their League One opponents.
Fabio Vieira was Arsenal’s creator-in-chief, sending in a perfect free-kick for Elneny to head past Oxford goalkeeper Eddie McGinty in the 63rd minute before playing a perfect pass for Nketiah to finish calmly finish seven minutes later.
Oxford, who had battled so hard, were now struggling to cope with Arsenal’s attacking threat and Nketiah was on the mark again after 76 minutes with a delicate chip over McGinty from Gabriel Martinelli’s pass to confirm that powerhouse meeting with Manchester City at Etihad Stadium in the fourth round.
There was concern for Arsenal before Sunday’s north London derby with Tottenham when Bukayo Saka went off with an injury, but Arteta played down the seriousness of it.
“He’s fine,” he told ITV Sport. “He’ll be OK.” Arteta will have been disappointed by the Gunners’ sterile first-half performance but once they clicked into gear they inevitably had too much for Oxford.
Nketiah and Vieira were the two stars of the show, the latter coming through a struggle in the first half to show his quality in delivery and passing as the English Premier League side finally exerted their authority.
Vieira’s free-kick was the perfect invite for Elneny to break the deadlock with a powerful close-range header and his pass for Nketiah to round McGinty was just as good. — BBC Sport
Online Reporter